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Monday, 3 September 2012

Answer to last Thursday's question

Does Bennett Street / Ashton Road count as 'Where'? (You had it in a previous photo.) It's a 'Betfred' now. (Also one of your photos!) I expect,if you had a 'search this site' option, we'd be able to find out what it used to be too!

Now there is actually a "search this site" option - there is blogger's own on the very top left of the page. Also, if you scroll down to the very bottom of the page there is a search box which will search across all my blogs.

Neither of them though would have brought you the answer as the only place I've published the photo before is on the Geograph website.

Betfred is what is locally known as a "bookies" or more properly as a "betting shop" or "turf accountant" although the latter name stems from the time when about the only thing people bet on was horse-racing. Not being a gambler I've never been in one so don't what goes on inside.

No-one has told me what the premises were originally. I don't know but suspect it was probably another pub.

Marjorie Robinson has just contacted me to say "I used to go to ballet lessons above there in the early 40s. The part of BETFRED behind the railings used to be a grocers. I remember queuing outside with my mother during the war to get our rations. Cheese and butter on the counter, cut and wrapped by the grocer, and bacon sliced on a machine. Cash sent to the office through mysterious whiz zing tubes. And I had my hair cut at the barber's shop which was immediately opposite!"